dua Mill.) in Romania

Abstract. Although it is one of the most important coniferous species, the larch (Larix decidua Mill.) covers a restricted area in Romania, only 0.3 % of the forest area, most being represented by artificial stands. The natural area of the larch is frag-mented, being concentrated into five genetic centers: Ceahlãu, Ciucaº, Bucegi, Lotru and Apuseni. The speed of growth, high productivity, high wood quality and resist-ance to adversities resulted in initiating research on the genetic variability of the larch. In 1978 and 1982 respectively, by means of international collaboration, two series of comparative trials were installed, with Romanian and foreign provenances of larch, totalizing 6 experimental areas. Selection of seed stands followed, and among them, more than 300 plus trees. There have been installed 26 orchards (134 hectares) of which 3 (15 hectares) are interspecific seed orchards (Larix x eurolepis). This paper presents the results obtained over the last years, regarding the continuing larch breeding program; genetic variation of the main characters in multisite prove-nances comparative trials planted in 1982, evaluation of the genetic parameters in a clonal seed orchard in order to advance to the second generation seed orchard, and a study of the genetic diversity by means of primary biochemical markers. The prove-nance tests include 24 populations of larch, 13 Romanian and 11 from the followin